Bus and truck drivers…keep your eyes on the road

The proposed rule would make permanent an interim ban announced in January that applied existing safety rules to the specific issue of texting. The rule, strongly supported by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., imposed stiff fines — potentially up to $2,750 — for truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds. The drivers could also potentially face civil or criminal penalties as well.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood (AP photo)

Schumer has been one of the leading congressional critics of texting while driving. Reacting to LaHood’s announcement today, Schumer declared, “This is a wise policy that is worth making permanent. But the Administration should go further and support our texting ban for all motorists and mass transit operators.”

Schumer has pushed for similar restrictions for the operators of subway trains and other mass transit vehicles.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) research has shown drivers text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. The research also found that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road.

Due to the safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, FMCSA announced they are working on additional regulatory measures that would be introduced in the coming months.

“This is good news on two fronts,” said Secretary LaHood. “This rule making keeps our commitment to making our roads safer by reducing the threat of distracted driving, and our partnership with Cornell on the e-Rulemaking Initiative is an important step toward keeping President Obama’s promise of opening government to more effective citizen participation.”

The partnership with Cornell University would increase public involvement and collaboration in the rulemaking process. The Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative (CeRI) partnership would make the federal regulatory process more accessible to the public through Regulation Room, an online public participation environment where people can learn about and discuss proposed federal regulations and provide effective feedback to the Department.

Over the next thirty days individuals can visit the Regulation Room and provide comments on the proposed rule. The Department of Transportation encourages participation in this rule making through Regulation Room, but the public may also submit comments to the DOT docket at regulation.gov

The new rule is in line with an Executive Order which President Obama signed in December 2009 directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles or with government-owned equipment.